Tuesday night inside the Toyota Center wasn’t about style points. For the Houston Rockets, it was purely about survival. Coming off a frustrating three-game losing streak where energy and attention to detail had waned, Houston found itself locked in a dizzying, back-and-forth prize fight with the Chicago Bulls.
The Houston Rockets ended their three-game slide with a 119-113 home win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, as Jabari Smith Jr. caught fire down the stretch when it mattered most.
It wasn’t pretty, and of course it couldn’t be easy, but “win” is still a much sweeter word than “loss’. The Rockets broke their losing streak, and more importantly got off the road, which seemingly caused small problems to snowball downhill, getting bigger as the trip went on.
The Houston Rockets have been reeling as of late, having lost three consecutive games, all of which came against sub-.500 teams. This made their Tuesday night clash against the Chicago Bulls at home all the more important.
Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun recorded double-doubles, and Jabari Smith Jr. drilled three late jumpers as the Houston Rockets outlasted the visiting Chicago Bulls 119-113 on Tuesday night.
It's hard for everything to go right in the NBA, whether that's due to managerial decisions, bad luck with injuries, or other factors. In league history, there are some moments that stand out, moments that could have gone in a completely different direction and drastically changed the league.
Having suffered four losses in their last five tries, the Rockets desperately needed a win versus the Bulls on Tuesday night to get back on track. Ultimately, the Rockets came away with a win, seeing cleaner offense to close the game and coasting to a 119-113 victory.
The Houston Rockets' 2017-18 season is viewed differently by the masses. It all depends on who you ask. On the one hand, the season was a disappointment.
The Houston Rockets have had a trend of playing down to competition over the last month and a half. Since the start of December, they've struggled, having gone 9-10 while failing to play consistent basketball on both ends of the floor.
Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. There’s no question about it. No one debates it. Because there’s no debate to be made. The Houston Rockets forward ranks seventh all-time in scoring, having just passed Wilt Chamberlain, and has Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Jordan in his sights.
Make no mistake about it, the Houston Rockets have been playing some of their worst basketball in recent weeks. Since the end of November, Houston has fallen short in many of the traits that made the team elite during the first quarter of the season.
After the Houston Rockets hit a slump through most of December, a stretch of victories to close out 2025 led most people to believe they'd get back on track.
The Houston Rockets have been on the road for most of the past month and a half. To begin the season, the Rockets had one of the easiest schedules in the NBA, with multiple days off between games, only one back-to-back to start, and, for most of the season, the fewest games in the entire NBA.
The Houston Rockets have been slipping as of late, recently dropping a puzzling road game to the Sacramento Kings, which was preceded by two straight losses against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Houston Rockets have hit a skid. Better yet, they’ve hit rock bottom. Especially as it pertains to beating non-contending teams. The Rockets have suffered recent losses to the Portland Trail Blazers (not once, but twice) and got beat by the Dallas Mavericks earlier in the month.
The Houston Rockets' season has taken a dark turn over the last month and a half. After a rough stretch through most of December, there was a belief that things were moving in the right direction after they rattled off four straight wins.
There was a point in the NBA season when the Rockets' robust 3-point shooting percentage served as a counter to the team's relatively low number of attempts from beyond the arc.
The Houston Rockets are suddenly facing adversity they hadn’t encountered earlier this season. And there’s no signs of it slowing down. Houston’s slide continued Sunday night with a 111-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings, marking the Rockets’ third straight defeat and their fourth loss in the last five games.
The Sacramento Kings had a solid 111-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in their recent matchup. By improving their overall record to 9-30, the team is moving forward to face their next rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, tonight.
Sunday night’s 111-98 loss to the Sacramento Kings is a regrettable one for Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets. Having notched their first losing streak (three consecutive losses) of the 2025-26 season, the Rockets find themselves in an unfamiliar position.
The Houston Rockets have been clutching at straws to scrape together wins lately. They’re still viewed as a top team in the competitive Western Conference.
Three years ago, it felt like Ja Morant would be a member of the Memphis Grizzlies for life. But after injuries, scandals, disappointing postseasons and a coaching change, the Grizzlies are considering trade offers for their two-time All-Star guard.